


THE CHILD OF MARY 



PS 635 
.Z9 
D305 
Copy 1 



A MELODRAMA IN THREE ACTS. 




THE RT. REV. MGR. J.^E CONCILIO, D.D., 

Author of "Catholicity and Pantheism" " TRe Knowledge of Alary," "Intellectual 
Philosophy," " Harmony betiaeen Science and Revelatioti," etc., etc. 



/',^^'^^-;.o^( RIGHT "''-?\ ' 



JERSEY CITY, N. J. : 

PUBLISHED BY THE AUTHOR. 

1891. 



Copyright, 1891, by 
The Rt, Rev. Mgr. J. De Concilio, D.D, 



■JMP92-009075 



THE CHILD OF MARY. 



CHARACTERS. 

Michael, Gabriel, Raphael, Abdiel, Ramiel, Uriel, 
ZoPHiEL, Phanuel, Eve, the mother of man- 
kind; Rachel, Eliazar, Rebecca, Esther, Ju- 
dith. 

Ada, ^ 

Evelina, > Children of Mary. 

Amelia, ) 

A number of Cherubs and of lower Angels ; Pages ; 

number of people. 



ACT I. 

Scene First. 

A tableau. All the Angels mentioned above, rapt in 
contemplation and ecstasy. A soft, sweet, lulling strain 
of music is heard, as if from a distance. Suddenly it 
rises into a burst of joy and triumph. Ada, Evelina, 
and Amelia on another side, dressed in white robes, 
with a blue sash on which is written in golden let- 
ters " Child of Mary," lying down as if buried in sleep. 
At the burst of music the Angels return to consciousness 
by starting up all beaming with pleasure and gladness. 

Raph. Oh! God three times holy! What 
sweet feeling is this ? 



4 THE CHILD OF MARY. 

Ab. Methinks a new heaven hath burst into my 
heart. 

Ram. Aye, it is heaven intensified. 

U. How good is the God to the loving soul! 

ZOPH, My heart is nigh bursting with glad- 
ness. The joy running up from my inmost heart 
overflows my whole being and exhilarates and 
inebriates it. 

Phanuel. O Michael, tell us of this new won- 
der of God's magnificence. 

Gab. Methinks we felt something like this 
once. When was it, Michael ? 

Mich. When the ineffable Godhead revealed 
to us the mystery of the coming of His Son and 
the matchless grandeur and dignity of His 
Mother. 

Gab. Yes, I remember me. It was truly a fes- 
tal day in heaven. The joy and gladness were 
past utterance, especially when all the hierarchies 
of heavenly spirits cast themselves on the ground 
and, with trembling and quivering hearts filled with 
awe and reverence, adored the Son of God who 
was to be the Son of Mary, and hailed Him the 
King of heaven and earth, and His peerless 
Mother the Queen of angels and men. The 
mere remembrance of it throws me into an ocean 
of bliss. 

Raph. And the feeling we experienced just 
now is akin to that which we enjoyed on that 
solemn occasion. 

Mich. And therefore it is an earnest &i that 
which will be required of us. 



THE CHILD OF MARY. J 

Ab. What? 

Mich. Something connected with the glory 
and service of the Blessed One among women. 
Will you do Her bidding ? 

All. We are ready to die for our Queen. 

MiCHo I will impart to you some knowledge of 
its import, and afterwards explain the share which 
each of you is to take therein. There are three 
human creatures here, buried in a deep, sweet 
slumber. Do you see that mysterious mark on 
the lovely brow of each? 

All read and exclaim : Mary's Child. 

Mich. Aye, Mary's Child ! Happy are those 
to whom such privilege is granted. They are the 
apple of their Mother's eye. Look at those three. 
The lily of the field is not more pure and spot- 
less than they. The pearl of maidenhood, like 
their Mother's, is their brightest ornament. Their 
soul is a sanctuary of innocence, of guilelessness, 
of simplicity and candor. Their heart is filled with 
the love for God and for their Mother. They 
move, live, and breathe in their Mother and for 
their Mother. They would only be too happy to 
yield their young life for Her. And She, the 
blessed among women, wishes to bestow some 
peculiar mark of favor upon them as a reward of 
their devotedness, and in order to captivate them 
more and more. Are you prepared to execute 
your Queen's commands ? 

All. We are. 



THE CHILD OF MARV. 



SONG OF THE ANGELS. 

Lo ! how our God hath honored Mary, — 

Her, the Father's chosen one, 
The Holy Spirit's Sanctuary, 
Virgin Mother of the Son ! 

Service love to Her be given — 
Chorus. Queen of creatures, angels, heaven. 

Through Christ the Lord, our God is saving 

Creatures all who turn to Him. 
The Universe His blood is laving; 
Men and Angels lift the hymn — 
Glory, laud our Saviour given ! 
Chorus. Sound on earth, in highest heaven ! 

And sweetly His dear Mother singing, 

Men and angels join in praise ; 
While gladly, loving service bringing, 
Lead we men in Her blest ways — 
Mediatrix to us given, 
Chorus. Humblest Virgin, Queen of heaven. 



Scene Second. 

Ada, Evelina, Amelia, between sleeping and awak- 
ing. 

Ada. What a lovely dream ! 

Ev. What a celestial vision ! 

Am. What angelic strains ! 

Ada. {Starting up and looking around^ Where 
am I? Where are my companions? Oh, here 
they are. Awake, awake, sweet friends ! My heart 
is full of happiness. It must out into your friendly 
bosom. 



THE CHILD OF MARY. ^ 

Ev. O Ada, you know not what you have 
done. You have broken the spell of a most en- 
rapturing vision. 

Am. You have made me lose the lingering 
echoes of some divine strains. 

Ada. Hush ! Have you also been blessed in 
your slumber as I have ? 

Ev. We have ; but tell us first what you have 
seen. 

Ada. Whether it was a vision or a dream I 
cannot tell ; but methinks a crowd of the loveliest 
angels had gathered upon this spot ; and they 
looked as if thrown into an ecstasy or rapture. 
Their faces and eyes appeared as if entranced, and 
a halo of the softest brilliancy and glory was round 
about them. They spoke at last, but their utter- 
ance was too lofty for me to comprehend. I stood 
with my eyes riveted on such lovely vision, when 
at once they glided away, leaving in my heart and 
soul a peace, a jubilee past expression. 

Ev. I saw the vision ; for 'twas not a dream, 
but a vision. My God ! what must Thy own 
Countenance be if angels' faces seen for a moment 
can fill our souls with such boundless delight ! On 
departing, they have left after them a foretaste of 
paradise and a disgust for things earthly. 

Am, Alas! I saw not the heavenly messengers. 
But I heard their melodies. Oh, to what shall I 
compare them ? The softest and sweetest har- 
monies of earth are as discord when confronted 
with them. They stirred up the soul to its very 
depth ; they searched it through and through ; they 



8 THE CHILD OF MARY. 

filled and overpowered it with the most exquisite 
delights ; they melted it into liquid sweetness. 
Hark! I hear the last strain lingering yet upon 
the air, and it feels as if the combined scent and 
fragrance of a whole garden of flowers were wafted 
towards me upon the wings of a gentle breeze. 
{Stops suddenly with a start) My God ! what vision 
is this ? {All three fall prostrate on the ground) 



Scene Third. 

Enter the Archangels Gabriel, Raphael, and Uriel. 
The above. 

G. Children of Mary, rise up. The shield of 
your mighty Mother is over you. The flood-gates 
of the most sublime favors are open for you. We 
come messengers and executors of Mary's gifts to 
you. 

Ada. Sweet Mother Mary ! Speak, dearest 
Archangel, and utter to Mary's lowliest and most 
affectionate children their Mother's intention. 

G. You have prayed long and earnestly to 
know more and more of your Mother's noblest 
perfections and loftiest dignity, that you may 
cherish Her more and more. In the intensity of 
your heart's tenderness you have entreated that 
some day you may have the unutterable happi- 
ness to behold the Queen of heaven in Her peer- 
less loveliness and beauty. 

Ev. We have, in the childlike boldness of our 
love. 



THE CHILD OF MARY. 9 

Raph. That favor is granted. We are in- 
trusted with its fulfilment. 

Am. Angel of God ! And how will that be ac- 
complished? 

Raph. Would you recognize your Mother if 
you saw Her ? 

Am. Among millions of the loveliest and the 
best. 

Ev. and Ada. Yes, yes. 

Raph. And by what special marks would you 
know Her? 

Ev. She should tower above all women by an 
accumulation of perfections and loveliness, as the 
rising sun obscures all minor lights in the firma- 
ment. She should truly appear as the Immacu- 
late, the Peerless, the Perfect One. 

Am. And do you not think, dear Angel, that 
we should single Her out by Her matchless privi- 
lege, the brightest jewel in Her crown, the divine 
Motherhood ? 

Uriel. Yes, if your soul be pure. 

Ada. And would not our own hearts, by their 
accelerated throbbing in the presence of our 
Mother, proclaim that blissful event ? 

G. Well, then we will start on a pilgrimage in 
search of your heavenly Mother and Queen. We 
shall traverse centuries and generations ; pass in 
review all places and countries. We shall note 
every sign, every image, every portrait and figure 
of that stupendous Creature. We shall admire 
how the bountiful Giver of all gifts has filled 
heaven and earth with the loving images of your 



10 THE CHILD OF MARY. 

Mother and made Her truly the object and the real 
business of all centuries. And if we fail not, we 
shall afterwards enjoy the sublime privilege of fix- 
ing our gaze upon Her celestial features. Let us 
offer up a prayer for guidance. 

Glorious Light that streams from above, 

Lead us, dear Lord, we pray ; 
Heavenly Wisdom, Power, and Love, 

Guide us upon our way. 

Seek we the True, the Good, and the Fair; 

Lead Thou our steps aright ! 
'Mid all Thy works, without compare 

Mary give unto our sight. 



ACT n. 



The scene represents on one side a beautiful garden 
with a gate. A cherub with a flaming sword is guarding 
the gate. Eve, in white garment and a black belt, is lying 
asleep against the gate. Two large angels and two 
smaller ones, as if weeping, are guarding her. On the 
other side Ada, Evelina, Amelia, and the three Arch- 
angels. 

Ada. Ah me ! our desire is not as yet fulfilled. 

E. Blessed Angels, we have not seen our 
Mother as yet. 

Am. Our longing is only more violent and im- 
petuous. 

G. You have seen Her already. 



THE CillLD OF' MARY. 11 

All. When, where? We have seen a beauti- 
ful vision, but nothing of our Mother. 

Raph. Tell what you have seen. 

Ev. It was majestic and sublime. It seemed 
as if we had been lifted up into heaven in a cloud 
of intensest light, so that our sight became dazzled. 
The cloud was dispelled, and we could see far, far 
into the innermost depths of the realms of heaven. 
The Eternal and the Ineffable was sitting upon 
the throne. This was made of angels' materials, 
and shone with the brilliancy of thousands of suns. 
Before and under the throne, at an immeasurable 
distance, there yawned an abyss dark, gloomy, 
empty. Perchance things were floating in that 
abyss, but the darkness was so thick and intense 
that nothing could be seen. When lo ! the lips 
of the Eternal moved ; the whole heaven was 
shaken to its foundation. But suddenly as under 
a flash of lightning the whole abyss was illumined 
with a soft, cheering light which allowed us to be- 
hold the whole earth covered with waters. 

Ada. Then a separation followed. The waters 
were congregated, some above the earth, and some 
of one side. A veil' of the softest and most lovely 
azure, as it were like a canopy, covered the earth. 
And through that azure so clear, so transparent, 
so buoyant, we could see numberless legions of 
stars studding the firmament and adorning it 
like a precious piece of wonderful tapestry. 

Am. Then we saw part of the earth heaving 
and rising into hills and mountains, intersected by 
beautiful valleys, all of which became covered with 



12 THE CHILD OF MARY. 

carpets of green of the softest texture. Then 
flowers sprang up of the most variegated shape 
and color. We saw the lily of the field, and the 
rose of Jericho, and the lowly violet, and the gera- 
nium, and the jessamine. Their fragrance was 
wafted to us by the m6rning breeze. Stately 
trees whose proud and haughty head reached the 
heaven, and whose arms extended far upon the 
earth, sheltered the flowers from the heat of the 
day. Then the whole air was filled with winged 
creatures, and the earth teemed with quickening 
animals. We were entranced at such galaxy of 
beauty. We felt as if born again to a new life. 
We looked far and near for our own beloved 
Mother. We failed to see a trace of Her. We 
were surrounded above and below and all around 
us by grandeur, beauty, and loveliness ; but She 
. . . She was not there. 

Uriel. She was there. In the light which God 
made, in the firmament, in the sun, in the moon, 
in the stars, in the earth, in the mountains, in 
the valleys, in the rivers and lakes, in the springs 
and streamlets, in every flower, in every shrub, 
in every plant, in every tree from the cedar of 
Lebanon to the lowly hyssop, in the sea, in every 
one of its inhabitants, in the creeping things of 
the earth, in every animal of nobler form and size, 
the Almighty was representing a perfection, a 
feature, a trait, a beauty, a charm of your Mother, 
the Queen of heaven and earth. Did you not see 
right before the throne a most luminous streak of 
light, set there by the Almighty Himself, at which 



THE CHILD OF MARY. 13 

He was pleased to look every time anew creation 
was to appear? He seemed like an artist who is 
tracing a beautiful picture by imitating the model 
before him which himself has sketched, finished, 
and perfected. 

AIL We did. 

U. That was your Mother's image which God 
formed before all, and which he took as a model 
for the creation of the universe. 

G. But I see you are not as yet satisfied. Be- 
hold something better ! 

E. My God! what creature is that? 

Ada. What beauty ! what grace ! 

Am. Of a truth she is a masterpiece of Om- 
nipotence. 

G. Can you discover any trait of your Mother 
in her? 

Ada. There is something motherly about her, 
but my childlike feelings run not towards her as 
trustingly and as affectionately. She cannot be 
my own heavenly Mother ! 

G. Let us draw nearer and see what those 
creatures of light who are hovering round about 
her can tell us. Look ! 

E. One of them hath written on her brow, 
Departed Innocence, 

Am. And another. Repentant Love. 

G. Yes ; eternal thanks to the boundless mercy 
of God, she has obtained the grace of repentance 
and has been forgiven. She is filled now with a 
love steeped in sorrow and grief. 

E. True. I can see it in her lovely brow ; even 



!4 THE CHILD OF MARY. 

in slumber I can discover traces of anxiety and 
anguish. Her bosom heaves as if under the pres- 
sure of unutterable anguish. 

Ada. But what does the other angel point at? 
Oh, how consoling ! See those letters of gold 
which read — My whole hope is in the coming of 
Her who is to be the best and fairest of my daugh- 
ters. What can that mean ? 

E. Dear angel, expound us the mystery of 
those hidden words. 

Am. Tell us about this wondrous being. 

G. She is the mother of mankind, Eve. Made 
perfect in nature and grace, assured of the continu- 
ation of those gifts for herself and her posterity, 
she preferred to forfeit all to listen to the deceitful 
voice of Satan, and to gratify her pride, her curios- 
ity, and her sensuality. But the bountiful Creator 
took pity on her, and in view of the coming Medi- 
ator and His wondrous Mother, yielded her the 
grace of repentance and forgiveness. 

Scene Second. 

The same. Eve starting up. 

Eve. Yes, children of Mary, you were right in 
believing me a mother, for I am your mother as 
to nature. But as to grace and holiness, I brought 
you death. Your true Mother is my own most 
cherished, most dearly prized and worshipped 
Daughter. It is She of whom God spoke when He 
addressed the wily serpent on the fatal day of my 
fall : " I will put enmity between thee and the 



THE CHILD OF MARY. 1^ 

woman, thy seed and Her seed ; She shall crush thy 
head." That woman is your true Mother who has 
brought you forth to everlasting life. I am but a 
faint flickering image of that stupendous creature. 
I know you long to see Her ; but centuries and 
generations shall succeed each other, images and 
types and personages innumerable, living port- 
raits of her charms, must appear and pass away, 
ere She arise upon the horizon, as the morning 
dawn, beautiful as the moon, chosen as the sun, 
dreadful as an army in battle array, and as the 
harbinger of the coming Sun of Justice. 

G. Mother of the living, you are endowed with 
prophetic spirit. Can you point out to these 
privileged children the figures and persons repre- 
senting some perfection or gift of their Mother? 
They so delight to hear of the beloved of their 
souls ! 

E. I have some vision of the future, and will im- 
part it to them. Children of Mary, gather around 
me, and look at your Mother's greatness. Do you 
see, down, down, far, far away, what is occurring 
upon the earth ? 

Ada. My God ! the earth is flooded with water. 
The surging billows press upon each other with 
maddening fury. They rise upon the hills and 
mountains. All living beings, men, women, and 
children, are making desperate efforts to rise above 
the waves ; even the feathered tribes have no- 
where to rest their feet. I seem to hear the last 
cry of anguish and despair of those who perish. 
Alas ! mankind is blotted out from the earth. 



l6 THE CHILD OF MARY. 

Eve. No ; look better. 

E. By the frequent flashes of lightning which 
break the darkness of the sky, I see something 
floating upon the waves. It battles its way through 
the fury of the storm ; it sinks, it rises ; it rides on 
defiantly and triumphantly. 

Eve. It is the ark of my descendant Noah, 
which contains the remnant of mankind and living 
things that are again to people the earth. A day 
will come when the earth shall be flooded with the 
waves of error, of falsehood, of moral corruption. 
It will be on the point of perishing forever. But 
the Ark of the new Covenant, my own blessed 
Daughter, will appear, carrying the Saviour in Her 
immaculate womb. Who will save mankind. Look 
again, children. 

Am. Oh, what a change ! The waters have 
subsided ; the rain has stopped ; the ark is resting 
upon the peak of a mountain. 

Eve. Look at the sky. 

Ada. Oh, what a lovely rainbow ! How bright 
and soft and cheering are its colors ! What peace 
and rest that sight infuses into one ! 

Eve. It is another figure of your Mother which 
God has placed on high as a token that He will no 
longer afflict mankind with such a dreadful pun- 
ishment, and as a harbinger of peace and reconcili- 
ation. How well does it express the prerogative 
of your Mother of being the mediator between the 
anger of Her divine Son and poor guilty men! 
How well does it portray that Her appearance is 
a token of pardon, peace, and reconciliation ! But 



THE CHILD OF MARY. I7 

here my vision ceases. Other creatures nearer to 
my blessed Descendant will unfold you more and 
more of Her grandeur and matchless privileges. 
But ere I go let me sing the praises of my future 
Daughter. 

The mother of men hath evil wrought; 
The Mother of Jesus safety brought ; 

While pride was the cause of sin, 

See Mary, the lowly, win 
Full graces, with every blessing fraught ! 

The mother of men their souls did kill ; 
The Mother of Christ did justice fill : 

Eve wounded with fiery dart ; 

To heal wounds was Mary's part. 
Oh, blessed is She who wrought God's will ! 



ACT III. 

Scene First. 

It represents a meadow. A well on one side. Eliazar, 
the servant of Abraham, arrayed in the garb of an Arab. 
Rebecca with a pitcher to draw water. 

E. I have sworn to my master to bring him a 
spouse for his son Isaac chosen from among his 
people. That vow I shall fulfil to the letter. 
[Kneels down.) " God, the Lord of my master, meet 
me to-day, I beseech Thee, and show kindness to 
my master. Behold, I stand nigh to the spring of 
water, and the daughters of the inhabitants of this 



1§ THE CHILD OF MARY. 

city will come to draw water. Now the maid to 
whom I shall say, Let down thy pitcher that I 
may drink ; and she shall answer, Drink ; and after- 
wards offer to give drink to my camels also, — she 
shall be the same whom Thou hast provided for 
Thy servant Isaac. 

{Enter Rebecca and goes up to the well}) 

E. What an exceedingly comely maid ! What 
a virginal charm sits on her brow ! Would that 
she were that chosen one ! {Goes up to her.) My 
lovely maid, give me a little water to drink of thy 
pitcher. {Rebecca rests the pitcher on her arm at 
once, and exclaims :) 

Reb. Drink, my lord, and when thou hast 
drunk I will draw water for thy camels also. 

E. {Drinks}) Thanks, dear maid. Whose 
daughter art thou ? 

Reb. I am the daughter of Bathuel, Abraham's 
brother. 

E. " Blessed be the Lord God of my master 
Abraham, who has not taken away His mercy 
and truth from, my master, but has brought me 
the straight way into the house of my master's 
brother." Dear maid, will you let me put some 
little ornaments on your lovely person ? {Puts ear- 
rings on her, and bracelets on her arms,- Rebecca re- 
tires}) 

Scene Second. 

Enter Laban, Bathuel, and Rebecca's mother. 
L. Come in, thou blessed of the Lord : why 
standest thou without ? I have prepared the house 



THE CHILD OF MARY. i^ 

and a place for thy camels. {All enter ^ Here is 
bread and meat to refresh yourself. 

E. I will not eat till I tell my message. 

B. Speak. 

C. I am sent by my master to choose a spouse 
for his son Isaac from among his people. God, 
the Lord of my master, has pointed out to me that 
your lovely daughter is the chosen one. Now if 
you do according to mercy and truth with my 
master, tell me ; but if it please you otherwise, tell 
me also, that I may go. 

B. The word has proceeded from the Lord : we 
cannot speak other things to thee but His pleasure. 
Behold, Rebecca is before thee : take her and go 
thy way, and let her be the wife of thy master's 
son, as the Lord has spoken. 

C. [Distributes presents to all.) Now stay me 
not, because the Lord has prospered my way ; send 
me away, that I may go to my master. 

Mother. Let us call the maid and ask her 
will. (Lab AN calls her.) Wilt thou go with this 
man ? ♦ 

Reb. I will. 

B. .May the Lord God of Abraham bless thee, 
my daughter, and thy spouse Isaac ; and may He 
bless your children and your children's children 
till He come Who is to be sent, and Who is to be 
the expectation of nations. 

Reb. {Takes leave of her relations^ Father, 
mother, wonder not that I can so easily part 
from you to go among strangers. I start with 
my own free consent — nay, with joy and con- 



5b THE CHILD OF MARY. 

tentment; because I foresee my destiny, and 
am thankful that it has fallen to my lot. A 
mighty voice in the very midst of my heart cries, 
louder than I can tell, that I shall be wedded to 
one of the first of the Princes and Patriarchs of 
our people, shall have the best love of my spouse, 
and shall be the happy parent of two mighty chil- 
dren, the younger of whom shall be the great sire 
of Him Who is to be the Saviour of our nation, the 
King and Ruler of the world, and the Father of 
all future generations of true faithful. This gives 
me courage, nay gladness, to leave you. Farewell ; 
I go to accomplish a sacred and lofty duty. 

Scene Third. 

The Children of Mary and the Angels. 

G. What think you of the vision which has 
just departed ? 

A. Beautiful indeed, and very touching! 

Eve. But it told us nothing of our Mother. 

G. How! did you fail to discover the mystery 
therein portrayed*? It was the counterpart of 
that which is to come, and which shall be the 
crowning glory of your Mother. A day will come 
when I, Gabriel, shall be intrusted by the Eternal 
Father with the hallowed mission of finding for 
Himself a Spouse, for His son a Mother, and for 
the Holy Spirit a sanctuary of predilection, even 
as Eliazar was intrusted by Abraham with the 
charge of finding a bride for his son. 1 shall look 
for the only blessed among women, and shall find 
Her filled to overflow with the sweet fountains of 



r 



THE CHILD OF MARY. 21 

grace. I shall hail Her as Full of grace. I shall 
ask Her consent to the exalted and lofty dignity 
of Bride, Mother, and Sanctuary of the Godhead 
and the parent of all the generation of believers. 
Why, what you have seen done by Eliazar I shall 
do on the day of the Annunciation! And would 
you wish a better image of the greatest mystery 
in your Mother's life ? 

Am. We understand now. The whole vision 
before us represented the wonders of the Annun- 
ciation. 

G. Aye. And now stand on this spot, and I 
will point out to you all the great matrons who 
represent some perfection of your Mother. {Enter 
Rachel, ajid passes s/owfy.) Here is Rachel, the 
graceful and lovely bride of Jacob, a picture of the 
spiritual charms of Mary. 

{Enter ESTHER, arrayed in queenly garments^ 
ivith a gold crown and pages bearing her train.) 

Eve. Dear Angel, who is that majestic queen? 
— for every step and every movement proclaim 
her a queen. 

G. She is Esther, the bride of the King of 
Assyria and Babylon. She saved, by her entreat- 
ies to the king, her own people from destruction. 
A figure of the mighty power Mary wields with 
the King of heaven on behalf of Her children. 

Ada. But look ! here is another grand sight — 
a noble matron followed by a great multitude of 
people. Hark ! let us hear what they say. {Cries :) 
" Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy 
of Israel, thou art the honor of our people." 



22 THE CHILD OF MARY. 

G. That noble matron is, Judith, the deliverer 
of her people from the yoke of their enemies. Joy 
and contentment are lit upon her countenance 
whilst the people proclaim her Blessed. And need 
I remind you that she is the figure of our Lady, 
who has delivered the Christian people from the 
yoke of Satan. The shouts of joy and praise and 
thanksgiving of the Bethulians are but a faint echo 
of the hymn, the song, the canticle, which every 
generation of Christians from the rising of the sun 
to the going down thereof shall raise to the honor 
and glory of their spotless, their magnificent 
Mother. 

All. Truly, yes, all generations shall call Her 
blessed. 

G. And now, children it is time that we should 
return to Him Who sent us. It is time that we 
should resume our perennial canticle before His 
Throne. Have you learned enough of your 
Mother^ 

Ada. We have ; but a trace of Her footsteps 
would have been bliss indeed. 

G. Children, it is given to me to offer you the 
choice : Will you get a glimpse of your Mother 
and die — for none could stand the mighty vision 
.and live ; or will you sacrifice that privilege, and 
by imitating your Mother's virtues, Her faith. Her 
obedience. Her humility. Her purity, Her devo- 
tion, become yourself a portrait, an image, a figure 
of your Mother, and thus help to make Her 
known, esteemed, loved, cherished, by others? 
'Which will you choose ? 



r 



THE CHILD OF MARY. 



23 



Child. To become a loving image of Her, and 
wait Her pleasure for the vision of Her presence. 

G. I expected no less from true children of 
Mary. Let us go. 

Ada. Dear Angel, the next instant you will be 
in the presence of our Mother. Don't forget to 
bring Her our love. 

Eve. Happy, happy Angel ! will you imprint 
on Her sacred feet a thousand kisses for me? 

Am. And will you double your homage and 
worship towards Her, to compensate our beloved 
Mother for our absence till we join you in heaven ? 

ArCHS. We will indeed. 

G. And now, before we part, let us invite all 
angels, all Mary's images, to join us in a canticle, 
until we take it up all together in heaven in an 
endless strain. (Sing the Ave Maria.) 



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